1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a system, method and medium for browsing media content using meta data, and more particularly to a system, method and medium for browsing media content using meta data, in which media content stored in the system is efficiently browsed using the meta data of media content currently in use.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, as the mass storage capacity of portable digital devices has increased, the devices have begun to hold an immense quantity of multimedia content. Examples of such a portable digital device include a mass capacity storage device such as a flash memory, and a hard disk. Moreover, with the trend in miniaturization of portable digital device, the devices have become smaller and now include MP3 players, portable multimedia players (PMP), and digital video recorders for home use. Moreover, the amount of data that can be stored on a portable digital device has increased even further due to advancements in compression technique for media content storage. Thus, a portable MP3 player or a PMP may now allow tens of thousands of music files to be stored therein, but the devices still have considerable difficulty in allowing a user to browse desired music or media content quickly and easily.
A conventional technique for of browsing media content will now be described.
Generally, media content is input to the system along with basic meta data. Meta data is generally understood to be data describing the underlying media data. The basic meta data input may include media content related data such as an ID3 tag or Exif tag. Here, the ID3 tag typically used for a digital audio file may include the file name, file size, file update date, and basic data regarding the MP3 audio file, such as the title, composer, singer, and genre of the song.
Conventionally, a user browses meta data of media content by inputting a title or artist name as text, reviewing a list of title or artist names arranged in alphabetical order, or uttering the title or the singer name as audio signals. Sometimes, the user generates a folder or a play list if necessary to reproduce media content stored in the system.
A user may also browse media content by classifying meta data of the media content in accordance with a certain mode. For example, music files have been classified into singers and albums based on meta data, and in this case, the artists' names are listed in alphabetical order or album titles are listed alphabetically.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional system for browsing media content.
Generally, media content is stored in a multimedia device such as an MP3 player along with meta data 102 corresponding to the media content. The user may browse media content using a search engine 104. The search engine 104 can search for desired content using the meta data, without having to browse all of the media content itself.
For example, if the media content to be searched is music, the user may generally look for a desired song by inputting a song title, composer, artist or lyrics. In FIG. 1, the result 106 output to an output unit is shown if a title of a song (for example, love) is searched for. The user can listen to a desired music by selecting the music from an output list.
Such a conventional classification system can easily be used if the quantity of files is small. However, if there are several thousand files or more, it is difficult for the user to select the desired content. Moreover, since most portable or home-use media devices use simple techniques for data input such as a single button or a remote control, and not a key board or a mouse, it is difficult for the user to select the desired content. In addition, the user needs to know details about the desired media content such as the song title, composer or artist, posing a problem if the user lacks knowledge of such details.
Furthermore, the user tends to listen to or view content that is related to media content currently in use. For example, the user may wish to know who sings a song currently being played or may wish to listen to another song by the artist. Further, the user may wish to listen to either another song by the composer of the song being listened to, or to other music that was popular at the same time as the current song. Accordingly, although the user tends to effectively browse media content related to current media content, conventional techniques fail to provide such effective browsing.